stylobate

American  

[stahy-luh-beyt] / ˈstaɪ ləˌbeɪt /

noun

Architecture.

1. a course of masonry, part of the stereobate, forming the foundation for a colonnade, especially the outermost colonnade.

---

stylobate British  

/ ˈstaɪləˌbeɪt /

noun

1. a continuous horizontal course of masonry that supports a colonnade

---

Etymology

Origin of stylobate

1555–65; < Latin stȳlobatēs, stȳlobata < Greek stȳlobátēs, equivalent to stȳlo- stylo- ² + -batēs ( ba- (base of baínein to step) + -tēs agent suffix)

Example Sentences

The first stage of the superstructure is the Stylobate, of 25 feet in height and some 140 to 145 feet in diameter.

From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Saint Paul An Account of the Old and New Buildings with a Short Historical Sketch by Dimock, Arthur

Stylobate, a series of steps, usually those leading up to a Classic temple.

From Architecture Classic and Early Christian by Smith, T. Roger (Thomas Roger)

Stylobate, stī′lō-bāt, n. the substructure of a temple beneath the columns.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various